About ARK

Essential Tools for When It Matters

ARK provides offline emergency response tools when traditional infrastructure fails.

Our Mission

To ensure everyone has access to critical emergency guidance, even when networks fail.

During the LA fires, Watch Duty became the most downloaded app on the App Store because it provided essential, real-time information when people needed it most. ARK builds on this lesson: critical tools must work offline, be immediately accessible, and prioritize function over features.

When disaster strikes—fires, hurricanes, floods, or grid failures—networks often fail. ARK ensures you have expert emergency guidance in your pocket, powered by a local AI trained on disaster response, with no internet required.

Global Localization

We are committed to localizing ARK into as many languages as possible. Emergency guidance should be accessible in your native language when you need it most. We welcome community contributions to help make ARK available worldwide.

Respect for Indigenous Knowledge

We recognize and deeply respect indigenous knowledge systems, traditional ways of knowing, and ancestral wisdom about emergency preparedness and survival. ARK aims to complement—not replace—these time-tested practices, and we welcome collaboration with indigenous communities to integrate traditional knowledge where appropriate.

Serving the Most Vulnerable

ARK is built with a commitment to serve the most disadvantaged, disaster-vulnerable, and marginalized communities first. Those who face the greatest barriers to emergency resources deserve access to life-saving information. We prioritize features, languages, and procedures that support communities often overlooked by commercial emergency preparedness solutions.

Core Values

The principles that guide everything we build

Offline First

100% functionality without internet. No degraded modes, no "online features only." When networks fail, ARK works.

Privacy Always

Zero telemetry. No accounts. No tracking. Your emergencies are private. All data stays on your device.

Open Source

Free forever. Fully open source under AGPL-3.0. Community-driven development. Transparent and auditable.

Accuracy Over Speed

Every procedure validated by emergency professionals. We prioritize safety and accuracy over shipping fast.

Why ARK Matters

The gap we're filling in emergency preparedness

Networks Fail When You Need Them Most

During hurricanes, wildfires, and major disasters, cell towers go down, internet fails, and traditional emergency resources become unavailable. ARK works when nothing else does.

Time-Critical Decisions

In emergencies, every second counts. ARK provides instant access to validated procedures—no searching, no buffering, no ads. Just immediate, expert guidance.

Universal Access

Emergency preparedness shouldn't be a luxury. ARK is free, works on any phone, and requires no subscription or account. Everyone deserves access to life-saving information.

AI That Works Offline

Traditional AI requires cloud connectivity. ARK's local LLM runs entirely on your device, providing intelligent reasoning and context-aware guidance without any network.

Built in the Open

ARK is fully open source. Community contributions welcome.

AGPL-3.0
License
100%
Open Source
Free
Forever

Why open source? Emergency tools are too important to be locked behind proprietary walls. Open source ensures:

  • Community can audit emergency procedures for accuracy
  • Experts can contribute validated procedures
  • No vendor lock-in—ARK will exist as long as someone needs it
  • Transparency builds trust in critical situations

Built by os.tech

ARK is developed and maintained by os.tech—a collective of technologists, designers, and emergency response experts across multiple countries who are committed to building open source operating systems for collective resilience. Our team includes contributors from ftrflds and a small network of peers who prefer to stay anonymous while focusing on building tools that truly matter.

We believe emergency preparedness tools should be free, open, and accessible to everyone—especially the most disadvantaged, disaster-vulnerable, and marginalized communities who are often left behind by commercial solutions.

Join the ARK Community

Download ARK, contribute procedures, or help spread the word about offline emergency preparedness.